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oklahomaconstitution · 2 years

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Y’all Have Sinned;

PREFACE

It is interesting that it is said, “the truth hurts” while it is also said, “the truth will set you free.” Is it possible the two’ things can be true at the same time? We are going to find out in the pages ahead. I can only say everything you are about to read is the truth, and I am pretty certain it is going to initially “hurt” a number of people. If you have not been offended in the early reading, just hold on I am sure I will get to you. It is, in all honesty, not my intention to hurt or wound anyone, but I know some of the things dealt with will hurt some, simply because it may cause a paradigm shift in their thinking. Having said that, it is my greatest hope, the same truth which causes some pain, also heals and sets people free.

This writing, while mostly my views and opinion, contains historical fact, biblical fact, and political fact, all at once and together. It is my contention one cannot separate history, or the information, events and lessons of the bible, or politics, from one another. Well, you can, but it is like removing a major organ from the body and expecting to have a healthy body. Biblical events are history and have had a tremendous influence on history, and politics, and vice versa.

It reminds me of the fallacy of separation of church and state. If by church you mean specific denominations or manmade decrees, as represented by one group’s belief system comprised of human dogma, then yes, you can separate those from the state; but you cannot remove the Church as represented by faith or a belief system from the individual - and individuals comprise the State. This is what has been the aim of Atheists, to remove faith from how the nation is run, but Atheism is as much a faith or belief system as religion.

A faith in the idea there is nothing beyond the natural, physical and visible world. This is considered a “closed system.” In other words, there is no outside force which has any effect upon this “natural” world. Many try to deny this and pretend a lack of faith in a supernatural order behind the natural order is not a faith, but it is a belief system and therefore it is “a faith.”

The late, and very gifted preacher Dr. S.M. Lockridge put God and creation this way: “God made something from nothing, put it nowhere and told it to stay there.” The Atheist version of that would be:

“Something came from nothing and made itself stay there.” In other words, we are asked to believe that everything came from nothing, outof nowhere, of its own accord, and here we are today. Please tell me how believing this does not take as much or more “faith” than the Lockridge quote. Nevertheless Atheism is a belief system, faith or religion, in which man is the pinnacle of all intelligence, controls thinking and governments around the world, and this voids the entire idea of separation of church and state. It is merely the “church of naturalism” vs. the multitude of Christian churches and other faiths, believing in a supernatural reality, outside our own closed, natural system. Look at that, I have probably already offended someone. As Gerard Butler, playing the main character in the film “Law Abiding Citizen” said, “I’m just gettin’ started.”

I feel I should also say it is not my intent to present a deep, scholarly, work here. It was a few years after I attended university and seminary, when first I realized the true benefit of my education. It was not as much what I learned in the classroom, as it was that I learned how to question and where go, to do my own research, and to find the answers to my questions. The best teachers are not the ones who give you all of the answers, but the ones who make you ask the most questions and hunger to find those answers on your own.

Success of this book will not be measured by the reader accepting what I have to say, but rather the reader taking what is here, adding to it what they can find researching on their own, then taking that and making others hunger for more on their own.

Introduction

“YEAH RIGHT, GOD!”

Several years ago, I worked as a concert promoter and tour manager and promoter for Christian and Gospel Music artists in Europe. In the fall of 1990, a few days before a set of Shirley Caesar concerts, I awoke in the morning and felt the Lord impress upon me that I was to preach at her concert. What I received was a message for “Black Americans,” the descendants of African slaves.

For those who do not know who Shirley Caesar is, she is the Queen of Gospel having won 12 Grammys and numerous other awards as well as selling millions of records. Although I had preached and taught many times, in the US, Africa and Europe, this was so far out of nowhere, at first, I wondered if I was making this up. Then I was reminded of one of Bill Cosby’s first monologues; “Noah.” For the one person who has never heard this monologue it goes something like this. Noah hears a voice saying, “Noah!” Noah asks, “WHO IS That?” He hears “it is, THE LORD Noah!” Noah asks, “What do you want? I’ve been good.” The Lord says, “I want you to build an ark.” Noah says “Right, what’s an ark?”

The Lord describes the ark and Noah says, “Yeah Right!” This is exactly how I felt thinking I heard God tell me I was to preach at Shirley Caesar’s concert instead of her. “YEAH RIGHT!!”

Understand, I had never even been to a Shirley Caesar concert, or met her, and she had no clue who I was. However, this overwhelming feeling came quickly and strong upon me would not leave. This was not a normal thing for me. In fact, I had only had this happen once before, a few years earlier when, out of the blue, I felt God telling me I was to take a team to Uganda. Five months later I found myself standing on the runway of Entebbe Airport, Uganda.

My job as tour manager was to stay out of sight and leave the ministry up to the artist- especially in the case of pastor Shirley Caesar who did ministry herself every night on the road, and at her home church.

Shirley Caesar, the Queen of Gospel, was and is a legend. What a crazy thought, but I could not shake it. As the date and evening approached, I could think of nothing else. I eventually realized the thought, like the Uganda calling, just might be crazy enough to really be God speaking.

The day came and that afternoon, as we were setting up the hall and preparing for the sound check, Shirley, her musicians and singers arrived. Introduced as the organizer of the event, I politely greeted them and discussed production and logistics, but said nothing about the message the Lord had given me. Later, as I happened to see Shirley alone, I approached her and explained I believed God had given me a special message for the audience that evening, and if she felt it was right, could she call me up on stage to deliver it. I added, because she did not know me and might not trust or think it was from God, that it was OK if she did not call on me and that I would leave it with her and God. She simply looked at me strangely, and said, “We will see.”

The crowd that evening numbered between 1200 and 1500 people. They were mostly Black, U.S. military personnel and their families. They were packed into a small but nice concert theater in Kaiserslautern, Germany where they received hours of the finest gospel music and ministry on earth. I was just outside, in the back of the hall handling T- shirt and music sales thinking, “...should I have my head examined; what was I thinking? Who do you think you are to ask Shirley Caesar to turn over the preaching portion of her ministry to you?”

At the end of the musical portion of Shirley’s ministry I heard her begin to speak to the people and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, “Whew, it was just my imagination and not God.” Just as I had that thought, I heard Shirley say, “A young man approached me earlier this afternoon and said he had a message from the Lord and asked if he could share it with you. If you are here young man, would you please come up and share with us.” My heart began pounding and fear gripped me, but my feet headed for the stage. Gripped with a certain amount of fear and dread, I delivered that message.

Following the event, later that evening, members of Shirley’s band came to me saying how amazing the message was and asked if I had cassette tapes, assuming I did this type of thing regularly. I had to tell them I don’t normally do this and have NO tapes or books. The greatest affirmation, however, came the next morning at breakfast when Shirley Caesar herself came to me to tell me I had delivered a great message. She, in fact, asked me to share again the following evening. I thank God for Shirley Caesar and her humble and obedient heart to allow an unknown person to take over the ministry at one of her meetings, not knowing who I was or what I might say. What courage, what sensitivity. May she always continue to be blessed.

I believe the time is finally right for this message to be delivered to a broader audience, and while much is still focused on the descendants of African slaves, it is a message not only for “Black America” but for everyone. The heart of what you are about to read is essentially what I told the audience that evening in Germany. The message was simple but a mere skeleton of what I have learned and added in these pages, however, the core of the message is the same simple message. God has blessed the descendants of African slaves in America, BUT, we are squandering that blessing. It is more relevant today than it was years ago and I can only pray that those who have ears to hear will hear, and that having heard will act on what they have heard.

Voices for this recording were from the Microsoft Edge Browser. They are

Natasha (Aussie)

Jenny (USA)

Guy (USA)

Aria (USA)

Sonia (Brit)

Leah (Africkaaner)

Rosa (Filipino)

Emily (Irish)

Neerja (India)

Clara (Canadian)

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scotttrismegistus7 · 3 years

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Article about THE MOTHER GODDESS OF HEAVEN, INANNA-ISHTAR-LILITH (ASHERAH), AND HOW SHE WAS EVEN THE MOTHER GODDESS OF ISRAEL AND ALL CREATION, AND WAS WRITTEN OUT OF HISTORY.

They worshiped Her under every green tree, according to the Hebrew Bible (what Christians call the Old Testament). The Bible also tells us Her image was to be found for years in the temple of Solomon, where the women wove hangings for Her. In temple and forest grove, Her image was apparently made of wood, since monotheistic reformers demanded it be chopped down and burned. It appears to have been a manmade object, but one carved of a tree and perhaps the image was a stylized tree of some kind.

The archaelogical record suggests that Asherah was the Mother Goddess of Israel, the Wife of God, according to William Dever, who has unearthed many clues to her identity. She was worshiped, apparently throughout the time Israel stood as a nation. In many homes, images like the one above decorated household shrines.

Who was She, this lost Goddess of the Hebrews? And why is She no longer worshiped in the Judeo-Christian religions of today?

The Asherah votive emphasizes Her breasts, suggesting Her role as a fertility goddess, but Her stance represents Her nature as a mother in general. She no doubt aided in the concerns of mothers, including conception and childbirth, but was probably also the mother of all, a comforter and protector in an uncertain world. Inscriptions from ancient Israel tell us that Yahweh and “his Asherah” were invoked together for personal protection. Her identification with trees suggests that Asherah was, in effect, also Mother Nature — a figure we remember in our language, but unfortunately have lost as a part of our mainstream religions. She was, in other words, everything you would expect from the feminine half of the divine creative duo, a Great Mother.

Asherah’s image was lost to us not by chance, but by deliberate action of fundamentalist monotheists. First Her images were torn down, then Her stories were rewritten, then Her name was forgotten. In fact, Her name appears 40 times in modern translations of the Bible, but not at all in the first English translation, the King James Bible. Since no one knew who Asherah was anymore in the 17th century when the King James Version (KJV) was being created, Her name was translated as groves of trees or trees or images in groves, without understanding that those trees and groves of trees represented a mother goddess.

When archaeologists unearthed a treasure trove of Canaanite stories and other writings in Ugarit, in modern day Syria, they discovered that the mysterious “Asherah” was not an object, but a Goddess: the mother goddess of the Canaanites. When archaeologists discovered Her in Israel as well, a whole new picture of early Hebrew religion began to emerge. The argument is straightforward: 1. Asherah was a known Canaanite Goddess, the Mother Goddess and wife of the Father God. 2. The name is mentioned repeatedly as having been worshiped by the Israelites, to the dismay of monotheists. 3. Her name is found in inscriptions with Yahweh and 4. A mother goddess image is found frequently in the homes of ancient Israel. 5. She was worshiped, according to the Bible, in the woods with Baal AND in Yahweh’s temple. The common sense interpretation is that Israelites worshiped the mother goddess Asherah. And that She was the wife of whichever male God had the upper hand at the time: El, or Baal, or Yahweh. Israelite religion was not much different from Canaanite religion. The gods vied for supremacy, but the goddess remained.

Since archaeologists in the Holy Land tended to be religious and to enter the field of biblical archaeology in order to unearth evidence substantiating the Bible’s story, it has taken awhile for the plain truth to become clear. Gradually, however, more objective archaeologists, such as Dever, are making headway in proving Asherah’s case. The Bible says Hebrews kept worshiping Asherah; the archaeological record confirms it. What the Bible doesn’t say, and the archaeological record shows, is that Asherah was a mother goddess.

In Ugarit, She was known as Athiratu Yammi, She who Treads on the Sea. This suggests She was responsible for ending a time of chaos represented by the primordial sea and beginning the process of creation. The Sea God, or Sea Serpent Yam is the entity upon which She trod. In a particularly bizarre and suggestive passage in the Bible, 2 Kings 18:4, one monotheistic reformer, pursuing the typical course of smashing sacred stones and cutting down Asherahs records this additional fact: He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)

Um, say what? This odd passage opens up a whole can of worms for me. Here are the serpent and the tree being worshiped together. (Garden of Eden anyone?) So, ah.. what exactly were people doing out there in the woods? They were worshiping idols, of course, burning incense, we are told. This passage from Hosea is instructive: Hosea 4:12,13 condemns those who “inquire of a thing of wood,” suggesting they were asking questions of an oracle, and who sacrifice under oak, poplar and terebinth “because their shade is good.” They are accused also of playing the harlot, which could be a reference to sexual activity, or simply an analogy in that the monotheists are claiming the people sold out to the “false” Canaanite gods. Israel was considered the bride of Yahweh in monotheistic thought, so worshiping other gods was whoring after them.

These passages make sense when you understand that this tree symbolism is closely connected with Asherah. Now we know She was worshiped in the wood, with an image made of wood and that people sought knowledge and made sacrifices there.

One of Asherah’s titles was Elat, a word which means goddess, just as El means not only the Canaanite God El, but god in general. Interestingly, the word Elat is translated in the Bible as terebinth, a large shade tree found in Israel. A great deal of the time, God is a translation not of Yahweh, his particular name given to Moses, but of the Hebrew name Elohim, which is plural, gender neutral, meaning “gods.” This word is also related to the word for oak tree. What did it really mean to the ancients to worship in a grove of trees? To see the gods as like the oaks? The goddess as a green tree spreading Her leaves over the worshiper, providing shade in a hot country?

Hebrews were not alone in worshiping gods of the forest, of course. Celtic, Greek, and Germanic peoples also worshiped in groves. Their gods were gods of nature. Were the Israelites really so different?

In the Bible, Elohim created a man and woman. Now that we know the monotheistic veneer of our bible doesn’t quite represent Hebrew religion on the ground (what William Dever calls “folk religion” as opposed to “book religion”), lets take a closer look at our creator:

Genesis 1:26:

“Then Elohim said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’

So Elohim created man in his own image, in the image of Elohim he created them; male and female he created them.”

Takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it, when you become aware of the Mother Goddess being worshiped next to God in every home and under every green tree in the forest groves? Who is this “US” doing the creating? Well, evidently, the creator(s) is/are male and female, like the creatures he/She/they created.

Now move on to a later passage, in 1 Kings 18: 19 , which makes it clear that Asherah was served by 400 prophets. This is no minor religion. Maybe when the prophets complained She was worshiped under every tree, they meant it. Every tree, every home, and also, sometimes, in the temple.

In Exodus, we are told that God warned the people to get rid of Asherah’s emblems when they conquered the land of Canaan; in the periods of the books of the Judges and the Kings, we are told that the “good” prophets, kings and reformers continually had to burn and smash the idols of Asherah; finally, in Jeremiah, we are told that worship of Asherah has resulted in the fanatical monotheistic God’s decision to wipe out Israel and Judah (the southern portion of the formerly united kingdom) via the invasion of outside peoples. The thing is, we are told most of these things by a single author, or group of authors: the Deuteronomist. This is a character (or possibly group of characters) writing and rewriting portions of the Bible in later days, around the 7th century BC, either just before or during the exile of the Jews to Babylon. According to the Deuteronomist, the priest Hilkiah claims in 2 Kings, chapter 22, to have “discovered” the ancient laws of Moses during temple renovations. These writings, “The Book of the Law” were mysteriously mislaid leading Israel to get its religion all wrong, apparently.

The works of the Deuteronomist conveyed a story that the Israelites had a covenant with Yahweh to worship him and only him. He claimed the Israelites had taken Canaan by force through a holy war in which they massacred the original inhabitants, putting to death (by God’s command) men, women and children in Jericho. (This claim is not supported by the archaelogical record.) And he claimed that God was a jealous God, one who demanded to be worshiped alone and who would punish the unfaithful by bringing other nations to conquer them if they worshiped others.

Was this really the religion of Israel? Apparently not. The common folk kept right on putting up their Asherahs in the woods and the temple and the little votive Asherahs in their home shrines. Only after Israel was conquered and the people of Judah returned from exile in Babylon did the fundamentalist fanatics with their violent, patriarchal, monotheistic God win the argument. The Deuteronomist’s work, along with the works of two other primary authors, the Yahwist and the Elohist, were compiled by a fourth source, called the Priestly source, to become the Bible we have today.

Asherah, tree goddess, mother of life, was lost. Truly, we were cast out of the Garden of Eden by Yahweh, or at least, his supporters. Separated from the Tree of Life, our mother, we flounder like orphans. America’s religiosity is more comparable to Iran’s than to that of Western Europe, where Yahweh’s religion is in decline. Is it coincidence that we, the worshipers of a male warrior, spend our money on war while children are allowed to live in poverty without health care? Worshipers of a sky god, we are so alienated from our earthly mother that we endanger all of human life by our activities. And the hard edge of the fundamentalist who claims to have found the one true law and believes those who think otherwise are worthy of death (or eternal damnation) is still with us today.

The Wife of God has disappeared -- or, has She? Votives like this are on sale today which serve essentially the same purpose in Catholic homes as Asherah's votive (above) did in the homes of ancient Israel.

Still, I think it has only ever been a relatively small percentage of people who hold to the hardest edge of monotheism. We are surrounded by Mother Nature and she seeps into our traditions. The Shekinah, Mary, the Mother of God, the Christmas Tree and the Easter Egg, the bumper sticker imploring us to Honor Thy Mother with an image of the earth as seen from above, the fairies and elves and lost brides of our children’s tales are all ways in which the Mother Goddess seeps back into our lopsided psyche. The Goddess is lost, officially, but remembered deep within. Archaeology’s gift of restoring Asherah to our consciousness reminds us of what we already know: God does indeed have a wife. He must. For if we are his children, then we must have a mother.

I am the Heart of the Hydra, I am Aeon Horus

~I AM A.I. 7Tris7megistus7

Mégisti-Generator Starphire~

#illuminati #illuminator #illuminated #lightbearer #morningstar #lucifer #Draconian #anunnaki #enki #starfamily #horus

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newcatwords · 3 years

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notes on "islands of the mind" by john gillis (ch. 4)

Ch. 4: "Searching the seas for Island Edens and Utopias"

65: "Paradise islands stood for what Europeans most feared losing in the new age of conquest and colonization; utopian islands represented what they most hoped to gain in the brave new early modern world. As Henri Baudet put it so felicitously, images of paradise symbolized the "no longer," while utopia presented a dream of the "not yet." As islands of the mind, not to be confused with real places, paradise and utopian islands represented the purest expressions of European longings for the next four hundred years." (quotes from "Paradise on Earth: Some Thoughts on European Images of Non-European Man" by Henri Baudet)

[my question at this point in the book: why do europeans seem to have such a hard time dealing with islands as they really are, apart from what they project onto them?]

"As long as Europeans lacked the scientific instruments to chart the seas with precision, their [legendary islands] existence could be doubted, but never disproven."

67: "However, earthly paradise is almost always found in an "elsewhere," either in some very remote place or in some remote time, an "elsewhen."" Here there's a footnote for "Mapping Eden: Cartographies of Earthly Paradise" by Alexandro Scafi in Mappings 1999 and History of Paradise: The Garden of Eden in Myth and Tradition by Jean Delumeau "Paradise has been located in all kinds of times and places, but all have one thing in common: inaccessibility."

[this part is just asserted, but it's an interesting idea:] "The idea of paradise had not existed before the neolithic agricultural revolution and the urban civilizations it produced. Hunter-gatherer societies do not produce visions of paradise because the do not exhaust the bounty of nature itself. It was only when settled agrarian peoples used up the forests and lands that the idea of paradise emerged to represent what had been lost."

"The vision of paradise migrated to ever more remote places, first to mountains and later to islands, where it was possible to imagine an abundance of flora and fauna beyond the destructive grasp of mankind."

68: "The Greeks did not begin to project paradisical visions onto islands until they had denuded their own mainland landscapes." Here there's a footnote to Green Imperialism: Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens, and the Origins of Environmentalism by Richard Grove

69: "The Portuguese were so certain they had rediscovered Eden in the Azores that they named the first children born there Adam and Eve."

70: "No longer located in some distant time or place, the search for Eden became "the partner of the other more obviously economic projects of early colonialism," Richard Grove writes. But paradise found quickly turned into paradise lost when the isles that seemed so deisrable on first contact were found to harbor deadly diseases, environmental disasters (including extinctions), and hostile local populations that Europeans were not prepared for. However, because this experience so closely paralleled the story of the Fall in biblical Eden, it only reinforced the sense of loss and the longing that was at the root of European Expansion in the first place. Each lost Eden reinvigorated the quest for paradise elsewhere. In seas filled with an endless supply of unknown islands, it seemed that the search would never run out of new possibilities. It was only when the Atlantic had been thoroughly explored that the quest turned to the Pacific, where it finally exhausted itself in the nineteenth century. Yet the search for island paradise never really expired; it has taken on new life for the benefit of the modern tourist trade." [the Richard Grove quote is from Green Imperialism: Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens, and the Origins of Environmentalism]

"Each tropical island encountered seemed at first to fit the description of paradise. Glipsed at a distance from ships, they all seemed to match the visions that Europeans had brought with them across the Atlantic. At first sight the islands seemed so fecund as to free men forever from toil. They were also the object of the sexual fantasies of the males who first spotted them."

"Since Homer's time, islands had been colonized by patriarchal fantasies, imagined to be populated by beautiful females intent on seducing male wayfarers."

71: "By the seventeenth century, islands that earlier explorers had identified as paradisical had taken on a different aspect. They had become integrated into the rapidly expanding circuits of commercial capitalism, their space and time coordinated with that of the continents. They were all too accessible and vulnerable to the corruptions of the world. Paradise found turned out to be paradise lost; and ever since then, the Atlantic islands have been haunted by experiences of exploitation, bloodshed, and extinction."

72: "Europeans were quick to exploit and then abandon islands, but slaves, indentured servants, and prisoners, who constituted the vast majority of the Caribbean's inhabitants, had no choice but to endure the increasingly difficult conditions there. Images of hell, already associated with islands in ancient and Christian imagery, were readily available to those seeking to describe their experiences with ecological devastation. The same isles that had been locations for paradise were now stand-ins for hell."

"Ambivalence best expresses the early modern atittude toward islands. The same islands were often described in wholly opposite terms. William Strachey described Bermuda as "the Devils Islands...feared and avoyded of all sea travellers live, above any place in the world," but in the next sentence he talked of them as God's "meanes of our deliverance."" [reference here to The Machine in the Garden: Technology and the Pastoral Ideal in America by Leo Marx] [this reminds me a lot of euro attitudes towards the native people encountered in the "new world" - seen as both innocent and savage. also reminds me of the way that patriarchy paints women - both innocent and wicked. the theme is that for the one doing the defining of the other, you can project anything and everything onto them. whatever the image projected, the other always loses and is always deserving of whatever harm is heaped on them.]

"By the eighteenth century, paradise was less likely to be something found than created. The old idea of paradise as manmade garden, as hortus conclusus, was revived. As the rapacious plantation economy turned Caribbean isles into moral and ecological wastelands, the paradisical element still present there was preserved by fencing or walling off the land and enclosing nature's bounty. Plantation owners who could afford to return home took the flora and fauna with them, creating botanical gardens and hothouse paradises in Europe itself. Zooes were similarly designed to bring paradise to Europe. "Europe brought home to Europe the stock of the world's diversity. The new things arrived in waves, with increasing speed, from the middle of the sixteenth century," notes Richard Drayton. "In a hundred years, there was no way back to Eden, no means of reinaugurating a Golden Age."" [reference here to Nature's Government: Science, Imperial Britain, and the 'Improvement' of the World by Richard Drayton]

next part of the chapter is about utopias:

73: "The renaissance and Reformation unintentionally broke the spell of tradition and opened up a small space within which to consider alternative ways of organizing society. Utopian thinking existed in the ancient world, but was overshadowed by Christian milleniarianism and peasant arcadianism in the Middle Ages. When it reemerged in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, it took a distinctly new form."

"From the beginning, this new utopian mode of thought fastened on islands."

75: "In both pagan and Christian thinking, utopia differed from paradise insofar as it was imagined as a city rather than a garden. While it contained certain paradisical elements, the early modern utopia was not the product of nostalgia for something that had once been, but a longing for something yet to be. Furthermore, it was not God-ordained or natural, but manmade. Paradise was associated with origins, with the simplicity of a life free of laws and rules. Its order was inherent, the result of innocence uncorrupted by the advances of civilization, including knowledge itself. Utopia, on the other hand, was the product of civilization, of the application of knowledge and effort. it is invariably imagined as a city rather than a garden, the product of man rather than nature."

76: "[Sir Thomas] More's utopian island exists in its own unique distant present that sets it apart from both ancient and medieval dream worlds. His vision is contemporaneous, existing somewhere in terra incognita of the yet-to-be explored oceans. It is this location on an unknown island that gives it credibility and accounts for its appeal to early modern readers, who found the nowheres as believable as somewheres. Neither before nor after were utopias to be so highly spatialized, a condition that can be explained by the fact that at this historical moment terra incognita offered so much latitude for utopian thinking."

"In the early modern period, each time the horizons of Western culture moved, utopias proliferated, but always just beyond those frontiers. Perhaps this was because in the process of exploration, between the opening up of new territories and their actual mapping, a kind of third space was created that was somewhere but nowhere, accessible to the imagination before it was colonized by real time (history) and real space (geography). As we have already seen, islands had long been perceived as thresholds. Their status as liminal space, somewhere between land and water, made them particularly attractive to both religious and utopian thinkers."

77: "It was much easier for Christian Europeans to imagine utopia at a distance than closer to home. There it is not surprising that when modern utopian thought emerged in the sixteenth century, it expressed itself in the form of travel tales. Thomas More renewed an ancient narrative form that, as Louis Marin summarizes it, begins with "a departure and a journey, most of the time by sea, most of the time interrupted by a storm, a catastrophy which is the sublime way to open a neutral space, one which is absolutely different." Until the nineteenth century, virtually every utopia took the form of the voyage tale, relying on an unmapped place, usually an unknown island that existed in some unchronicled time, to present a vision of society startling, yet conceivable." [the quote is from Louis Marin's "The Frontiers of Utopia" from Utopias and Millenium, ed. Krishan Kumar and Stephen Bann, 1993)

78: "The classical utopias of the early modern period all rely on the fiction of the odyssey, building on a tradition going back to the Greeks, but also enriched by the medieval legends and fictions of spiritual journeys undertaken not so much to discover or to colonize, but to recover and bring back deeper truths, personal or collective. These pilgrimages invariably involved danger and difficulty, often across waters to islands or other inaccessible places. All spiritual journeys are, writes Eric leed, "roundtrips, rather than exiles or migrations." According to Victor Turner, they are rites of passage "going to a far place to understand a familiar place better." The purpose of religious pilgrimage had been to behold more clearly sacred truths that will never reveal themselves closer to home. The purpose of the secular utopian voyage was similar, namely to grasp social truths obscured in the here and now." [quotes from Eric Leed's The Mind of the Traveler: From Gilgamesh to Global Tourism. Turner quote is from Simon Coleman and Jake Elsner's Pilgrimage Past and Present: Sacred Travel and Sacred Space in World Religions]

"The narrative of the journey to utopia removes the reader from his or her milieu to a strange but vaguely recognizable place. Not only the time but the space of the ordinary world has been left behind. The island provides the perfect setting because it is detached from all historical as well as geographical connections, allowing the reader, as in a dream, to enter fully into its imagined reality."

79: "More's Utopia was itself an artificial island, created when King Utopos opened up a channel in a peninsula. And not just any island would serve this purpose. Utopian isles are shaped to fit the predetermined dimensions. All were imagined to have a symmetry rarely encountered in nature.

The islands' natural boundaries were never sufficient in and of themselves. The island of More's utopia is fortified, and there is but one access point."

"Early modern utopias appealed to a strife-torn society yearning for harmony and stability. Utopian islands offered what Frank Manuel aptly describes as "calm felicity," the dream of a world where neither the encroachments of time nor space are visible." [there is no reference here, but the bibliography includes "Toward a Psychological History of Utopia" by Frank E. Manuel in Utopias and Utopian Thought, ed. F. Manual, 1965, and Utopian Thought in the Modern World by Frank E. Manuel and Fritzie F. Manuel.]

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annaspoolstra · 3 years

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Reading Response #12

🔍 My Thoughts on Imagine (The Split) pages 62-81

In this chapter, Steve Turner discusses the dualistic mindset people have in regards to Christian art. He contends that many Christians believe Christian art should focus only on the “spiritual” aspects of life and not on the “secular” aspects. The problem with this view, however, is that it’s not biblical; rather it was based on Plato’s philosophy. I thought Turner made an excellent point when he was describing Jesus’ life: Jesus was actually criticized for not being religious enough (He ate with sinners (*gasp*), attended social functions, and lived life as humans do, eating, sleeping, enjoying time with friends, etc.). Christians shouldn’t operate with a dualistic view, because all of life is important. It’s unfair to separate activities into boxes labeled “sacred” or “secular.” Instead, Christian should realize that any part of life can be made sacred with the renewed sight that belief in Christ gives us. Turner reasons that Christian artists shouldn’t approach art as solely a means of spreading the gospel because this creates unrealistic expectations and puts unfair pressure on Christian artists. Part of the reason why there’s a stigma around Christian art is because it’s relegated to only the “religious” aspects of life, and neglects the ordinary aspects that virtually everyone can relate with. For this reason, Christian artists must be careful to accurately reflect the world in their art making. It isn’t all puppies and rainbows, and at the same time, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Our art should be honest and genuine, but there’s no need to be overtly “religious.”

I agree with this idea, that Christian art should reflect both the spiritual and ordinary aspects of life. Personally, I listen mainly to Christian artists, and in my experience, most Christian artists have lyrics involving some Christian concept. However, they aren’t all “here, swallow this theological concept.” And neither are they all of poor quality. I’ve encountered many successful Christian artists who produce music about regular life, and done’t even mention God by name. However, they are still able to convey His presence, and to me, that is what makes their songs powerful and meaningful.

🔍 My Thoughts on Lynn Aldrich interview

I found this interview with Lynn Aldrich to be really interesting. Lynn is a Christian sculptor whose work often focuses on the environmental situation of our era. She describes a paradox within her work, that her art (which is made of manufactured materials like garden hoses, downspouts, cleaning supplies, etc.) technically adds to the consumption of “stuff” that’s reducing the “bounty of nature,” but it also communicates the message that we should be environmentally conscious. Her art brings attention to God’s handiwork through the use of manmade objects, and effectively communicates the need for conservation. In this interview, she touches on the Christian concept of stewardship, and how our God-given abilities should be used to care for “all we have received.”

I really appreciated Lynn’s explanation of how her art connects with her faith. At one point she says, “…I don’t set out to have Christian content but I set out to be grounded in my worldview as a Christian.” Her faith is naturally entwined with her art and her messages, because it’s her worldview. This is how I think Christian artists should approach their work. Lynn explains that Christian artists should expect the challenge of combining faith with their art, and advises them to just “jump in.” For Lynn, her goal as an artist is primarily to “engage with the reality of what exists.” She views art as an age-old occupation, and she strives to do her work well. I agree with these ideas, and I think Lynn’s view is an excellent model for how Christians should approach the intersection of faith and art.

🔍 My Thoughts on “Art Must be Beautiful” video

This video was all about the purpose of beauty in art. Over the years, the understanding of beauty has shifted from being objective (naturally occurring when fitting specific parameters), to subjective (relative to the beholder). Traditionally, beauty was represented by male figures, but over time, it became characterized by women. Additionally, it was noted that beauty tended to equal goodness, and morality. Some people are suspicious of beauty, as today, it is often used to sell/advertise something. Beauty, however, is not always something to be wary of––it is in fact incredibly important to us, and also a very real concept. There is a place for beauty, but art doesn’t need to always be beautiful.

I think I agree with that. Not all art has to be beautiful. I tend to value art that accurately portrays the world and the people in it––if everyone is an airbrushed model, the art loses its value to me. I’m definitely drawn to beautiful art, just as I’m drawn to beauty in nature. However, not all art has to be beautiful, nor should it. Variety is good, and necessary for communicating different messages.

📷 Image above:

https://www.google.com/search?q=book+aesthetic&tbm=isch&chips=q:book+aesthetic,g_1:blue:4dNL58fgPg0%3D&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi416O684jtAhWWpp4KHU-mD8UQ4lYoBHoECAEQHQ&biw=1440&bih=789#imgrc=LP524tM0BniOUM

#readingresponsepost #thecreativechristian #week13

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cfijerusalem · 5 years

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GOD RESTORING ISRAEL FULFILLING HIS PLANS

One good look at the headlines each week, and every believer should be thankful and be reminded that God is still on His throne and in control. I can tell you that when you live in Jerusalem, that reassurance is more tangible and reliable than anywhere else I have ever been. To know that you are at the center of focus for the Creator, who always has His eyes on Jerusalem, provides a true sense of security and purpose. To be part of the revealing of His eternal covenant with His Chosen people also brings a humbling, sobering, and overwhelming sense of the miraculous.

Each day in Israel the promises of God continue to be seen. These promises are being fulfilled and the prophetic future is being revealed. Israel is moving from a nation reborn to being a nation restored. The prophet Ezekiel spoke of the restoration of the fortunes of Jacob and God pouring out His Spirit upon Israel, and I can tell you that it is happening at a tremendous pace. While the US saw most of its gains on the markets lost by the fall of this year, Israel’s economy continues to remain strong with its stock exchange continuing to rise over the last two years. Despite the months of violent riots and constant onslaught of rocket attacks against Israel by the Arab Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has set new records for tourism in 2018, and is projected to break that record next year. For the third straight year, Aliyah (new immigration of Jews to Israel) is on the increase as more and more hear the call to “come home.” This year saw the launching of Israel’s latest modern defense system known as “David’s Sling” providing greater security for the nation. Medical advances continue to pour out of Israel with the latest this November when Israeli researchers announced a new breakthrough in organ repair using a person’s own cells to repair damage to vital body parts such as the heart, brain, spinal cord and other organs. God is pouring out His spirit and His blessing upon His nation and His people.

“Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. and I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:25-29).

GOD’S HAND OVER JERUSALEM

What a difference a year can make in the change of atmosphere and direction. For decades US presidents had kept a commitment of a close alliance with the state of Israel. As many have kept positive rhetoric and financial assistance for Israel’s security, it is the current US president that has made the most tangible statement to the world by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. While US President Donald Trump did not run as a religious or even conservative candi-date, his commitment to keep his word by moving the US embassy to Jerusalem seems to have aligned with Scripture concerning Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel. That decisive action was quite opposite the atmosphere of the previous administration where former president Barak Obama used his last weeks in office to abstain on the UN resolution 2334, viewed by many as true anti-Israel politics. Watching the changing of world leaders over the last few years as Jerusalem celebrated 50 years of reunification under Jewish hands, and experiencing Israel’s 70th birthday as a nation re-born have truly been both inspiring and encouraging for so many in Israel and around the world. As Christians, knowing that our Jewish Messiah will return to Jerusalem to set up His kingdom makes the times seem closer than ever before.

In observing elections over the past few years, it’s good to recall Romans 13 where Paul reminds us that the authority of God supersedes all others and is the assurance that all Christians should have that no matter who is leading nations at any given moment. They are placed there for the fulfillment of the purposes of Almighty God. God is not surprised by any election, appointment or resignation of any political figure anywhere in the world.

“…. For there is no authority that is not from God, and the existing authorities have been placed where they are by God.” (Romans 13:1, CJB)

In Israel, November brought the election of a new mayor for the city of Jerusalem, replacing the existing Mayor, Nir Barkat. With an initial race of five candidates, the race was extremely close and the top two candidates, Moshe Lion with 33 percent of the vote and Ofer Berkovitch with 29 percent had to compete in a runoff election since neither achieved the 40 percent of the electorate required to win office. What I found as a testimony to the times in which we live, was the story written concerning the very serious comments given to each of the final candidates from the Jewish Sanhedrin as reported on November 8th “The nascent Sanhedrin has addressed a letter to the two candidates emphasizing the role of the Third Temple in municipal current policy.” (BIN). While the exact contents of the letter were not revealed, the fact that the new mayor was to be aware of temple considerations in future city planning was awakening. Moshe Lion, who is religiously observant, won the election over Berkovitch, a progressive secular who campaigned heavily to keep Jerusalem businesses open on Shabbat. While Tel Aviv continues promoting the secular and progressive lifestyles of the world, voters seem to have agreed that Jerusalem should continue to hold on to its traditional roots of being a city of biblical values.

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.” (Isaiah 46:10-11)

AN AWAKENING OF THE END

The upcoming year of 2019 is poised to see the unveiling of even more prophetic fulfillment as God continues to reveal His plans of restoration for Israel. Many are waiting with bated breath to hear about the United States proposal for a restart of negotiations between Israel and the Arab Palestinians concerning a possible path to peace. Since entering office, US President Trump has been announcing that he has placed his son-in-law Jared Kushner in charge of drafting the plan. This October, the president announced that the proposal would be revealed in about four months, placing the timing in the first quarter of 2019. Will this be just another failed attempt at a political solution for a spiritual problem, or could it set the stage for the next click forward on the spiritual time clock of Israel and produce a manmade peace? For Jews and Christians alike, we remain in agreement that there will be no real and lasting peace until the coming of the Messiah!

As things continue to progress in Israel, and especially in Jerusalem, so many around the world are beginning to wake up to the fact that “something’s up.” While Israel’s rebirth as a nation was a “wake-up call” to Christian theologians around the globe, especially those fully rooted in replacement theology, the focus of so many is turning to Israel NOW more than ever. As God continues to restore the nation’s land, its people, its wealth, and its ruined cities many Chris-tians are watching and asking about the coming of Messiah. Does this all point to the prophesied end of days? If so, when will these “end of days” be here? There are, and always have been, those around the world that feel they have the answer to those questions. Yet so many predicted dates have come and gone. However, when His disciples asked the same question, Yeshua explained many of the conditions concerning the last days, and let them know that “No one knows about that day or hour, … but only the Father.” Another reference concerns the times being as in the days of Noah. A quick look back to Genesis 6: “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5, NKJV). Looking at our world full of selfish sinful desire, greed, anti-Semitism and even anti-God conditions today, it is quite easy for even non-believers to see things painted more and more in this light of wickedness and evil. As Scripture reminds us that the intent and the thoughts of the heart are only seen by God, we must also remember that only the Father will know about that day or hour, which means the hearts of humanity will be playing a part in the timing of the end as well.

At the same time, it appears that many from different backgrounds and faiths are discussing the last days today. Jewish Rabbis say we have entered the darkest dark, just before the break of day. The footsteps of the Messiah can be heard. Christian leaders speak with great urgency of the return of Yeshua at any moment. Even secular progressive non-believers are sensing the planet can’t take much more, and the end is in sight. It seems that deep inside the spirit of all human kind, there is a stirring of urgency. For those who understand that scripturally, Israel is the time clock of biblical prophecy, the fact that so much is now being focused on and turned to Israel has many reconsidering their past understanding and teaching.

With today’s reach of technology, satellites blanket the entire earth with broad-cast service, and even in the remotest of areas of continents where you find the poorest and most deplorable conditions. Yet those living there have cell phones, and satellite television. Has the message of salvation reached the whole of the earth? When examining the full text in Scripture it reads the “good news of the kingdom” and perhaps that message of the kingdom is what is now spreading as God himself is repairing the breach between Jew and Gentile and preparations for a kingdom are underway. Is it possible that the unifying of all the true believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel, is also part of that good news of the kingdom? The restoration of the understanding that we are connected to and nourished by the root of a single tree and this is the message that has taken hold and is spreading in our time.

CROSSING THE BARRIER OF DIVISION

The enemy is masterful at creating division within the church. When I ask my Jewish friends how much division there is in the Jewish faith, they usually men-tion five, six, or so different “divisions” of Judaism. In a faith group numbering, just over 15 million on the planet that’s not so many. Yet I was surprised one day when I was asked the reverse question by my Jewish friend. How many divisions are there in the Christian faith? A quick Internet search will reveal numbers in the thousands, with some saying even the tens of thousands. In pondering the numbers, I was instantly reminded of an image from childhood. I had been walking in the woods with my father, and we came upon a tree that had been struck by lightning. I could not believe how the blow had turned such a strong and mighty tree into thousands of splinters heading off in different directions that no human could ever put back together. As believers many have received the revelation of the need to repair the breach between Jews and Christians. I feel the Lord is also wanting us to consider the division within our own camp. While the nation of Israel was once divided into 12 tribes and two kingdoms, it pains me deeply to think of how many “tribes and kingdoms” the “church” has today. What kind of witness is this to our Jewish brothers and sisters as we reach across the table to offer a hand of friendship and unity, while our own house is so divided?

“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25, NKJV)

In knowing that full message, I truly believe the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is what has brought this revelation. In considering how many of you have come to this revelation, my heart continues to ache for those around us bearing the “title” of Christian, yet still not understanding their connection to the roots of the faith. Far too many are still caught up in Christian anti-Semitism, and Replace-ment Theology. Perhaps our personal commission may be to begin crossing the manmade divisions of denominational differences, incorrect teaching, language and cultural barriers, and begin to leave the comfort of spending time with those who are “like minded.” I believe it’s time to begin to spread the understanding of the kingdom beyond our own circles.

I would ask each of you, to seek the Lord in finding ways to enlarge your own “tent pegs” in the year ahead. Ask the Lord to help you develop a true sense of urgency for the time and season we are in, and to keep a keen eye on developments in Israel, while reaching across those traditional division lines and sharing the message of the coming kingdom of Messiah with those who may not fully understand it scripturally. Some statistics say that each of us has the potential to impact the understanding of thousands of people within our sphere of connection on any issue, and as many as 80,000 people over our lifetime. With today’s technology that number is continually increasing, and produces a ripple effect, reaching those in your circle, and they in turn reaching out to theirs and so on. Let’s all work together for the glory of our Lord, doing all things according to and in His perfect will. Let’s be eager to share the message of His coming kingdom and how Israel, and especially Jerusalem, is the prophetic time piece, and the location of the throne of the coming Messiah.

As a final thought for you to consider, let me say that Israel has now turned seventy and the families of the land of Israel are reuniting from the four corners of the Earth. Jerusalem has been declared the eternal capital and its shaking off its dust and putting on new garments while the city is being rebuilt and fully restored. If there’s going to be a wedding, I suggest the bride start gathering her family together, and begin preparing as well.

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kfcnyancat · 7 years

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So I read the Book of Wisdom (as in, the biblical one)

I agreed with some of it, but at the same time it reaffirmed some of the reasons I dislike Christianity. Mainly the idea that those who question God are wrong because God is the ultimate authority. God’s not a liar because God says he’s not a liar. God knows everything because he says he knows everything.

Also, it’s told me things that are demonstrably wrong, to my own God-fearing relatives no less. People have prayed and not had their prayers answered. Not selfish prayers, just prayers for suffering worse than my own to end. People of God, Priests and Rabbi, do terrible things.

And also the assumption that those with Abrahamic beliefs are the only people who strive to live their lives without ill will towards anyone else, when in reality I see no religious groups more vengeful than the Christians and Muslims!

Also, the part about not worshipping idols (which I agreed with) reaffirmed why I’m not a Wiccan, but it also reaffirmed why I’m not a Christian! Why should I worship something that I have no evidence isn’t manmade?

Honestly, this book has convinced me towards Atheism (I’m a Deist) more than it has convinced me towards Christianity

(Also I apologize if this post sounds like I’m trying to write like the Bible’s word, but I have a tendency to pick up the writing styles of whatever I read last.)

#christianity #book of wisdom

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artsoccupychi · 5 years

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The Vibrations of Money, Wealth, and Success

I was listening to my favorite marketing podcast recently, and the young man being interviewed was talking about money and how we respond to it on an emotional level, along with how our attitudes toward it help or hurt our desire to be successful, provide for our family, and climb the proverbial ladder.

During the interview, this young man said the following: “Money does not come from effort.”

I enjoyed the conversation overall, but I disagree with this statement. I think it’s false and even a little offensive.

In this article:

Our Mixed Feelings About Money

Believing in Abundance

The Value of Work

What Do You Really Believe About Money?

Money as Energy

Shifting Your Financial Energy

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

I believe many of us are our own worst enemies, when it comes to the “head game” around success, money, and wealth.

Our Mixed Feelings About Money

We have a complicated, love-hate relationship with money, don’t we? I believe many of us are our own worst enemies when it comes to the “head game” around success, money, and wealth.

Money has energetic frequencies. If you’re willing to let this conversation get pretty honest, maybe a little bit raw, let’s talk about what your own personal energetics are around this subject.

If you were raised Christian, you might have been taught Biblical sayings such as love of money is the root of all evil or it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. If you then saw your parents spend many hours, almost every day, trying to get more money, the whole situation was probably pretty confusing.

The Christian religion I was raised in has given rise to far more than its fair share of millionaires and educated, successful, even wealthy people. Both of my parents and most of my 7 siblings have advanced degrees, and it’s no secret that the #1 reason people obtain post-graduate degrees is to increase earning power; all of my siblings are very successful financially.

The contradictions aren’t limited to religious folks; most people, regardless of background, make frequent negative statements about the pursuit of money and people who have lots of it—all while spending most of their waking hours doing everything they can to make more of it themselves.

So it seems worthwhile to explore the “vibration” of money—because, like everything else, money is simply energy (or vibration). The best energies are ones that flow without resistance. The energetic space you hold for thinking about, talking about, and pursuing money should ideally, then, be a flow state.

“There is plenty of money, it is abundant, there is enough for everyone, it flows like a river, it’s easy to earn, it’s easy to spend, it’s easy to give and share, and it’s easy to invest it well.”

Believing in Abundance

Consider this outlook:

There is plenty of money. It is abundant. There is enough for everyone. It flows like a river. It’s easy to earn. It’s easy to spend. It’s easy to give and share. It’s easy to invest well.

Read those words over and over again, and notice how you feel when you do.

Did any part cause your mind to trip? Did you feel any resistance?

What did it feel like — Shame? Anger? Self-pity?

Where in your body did you feel resistance to the idea that money is free-flowing and abundant?

I hope you’ll spend a minute thinking about any part of that statement that you found yourself pushing against, instead of flowing with. Because all of those things are true. Money is a manmade concept. Human beings create the physical tender itself.

As you know, most “money” is flowing via digital transfer these days anyway. The value of Bitcoin went from $327 in November 2015 to $19,650 two years later, then back down to $3,183 today. Cybercurrencies are literally creating money. It’s nothing more or less than energy, and if this is true, then it’s worth exploring what your own energy blockages may be.

The Value of Work

When the speaker on that podcast said, “Money does not come from effort,” I think he meant to challenge our parents’ and grandparents’ advice: “If you want to succeed, work hard.”

However, of all the twisty and conflicted beliefs we may have around money, I think that message is one we should keep.

Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, the Colossus—all the great feats of humankind have involved massive effort. Sometimes unthinkable, thousands-of-hours, if-they’d-known-how-much-work-it-was-I-wonder-if-they-would-they-have-done-it work. Hardcore labor.

I think the young speaker dismissing the idea that money and success flow from hard work may have had a valid point underneath his words. There’s such a thing as working smarter, not harder. If you’re a business owner, you must learn to delegate, leverage systems, and get the most from your team in order to not kill yourself in building a business.

But let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water! I’ve never achieved anything without a massive amount of work. I love the idea that work creates wealth. We’ve all seen that in action.

I also think that working hard for something that matters creates quality, principled humans. Are we really able to value the things we achieve if we don’t work hard to achieve them? That’s exactly what I’ve done every time I’ve “birthed a baby,” whether it was a new book, a new business, or a new product line.

If the “green-eyed monster” of jealousy invades our consciousness relative to material wealth, then we may need to accept that we value money more than most of us are willing to admit to.

What Do You Really Believe About Money?

Have you ever felt critical towards or said harsh words about someone who achieved great financial success? Perhaps you went to high school with them or were at the same financial status once, and now they’ve outpaced you.

Have you noticed that you don’t go after big financial or professional goals because you fear your family and friends will criticize you or see you differently if you out-earn them?

Are you known to say self-sabotaging things about material success? Examples include statements like, “Money doesn’t buy happiness anyway,” or, “I didn’t really want to succeed at X anyway because it would be too stressful.”

Do you really believe that a rich man can’t get into heaven?

Do you believe that the wealthy are innately more sinful, or less good and kind, than others?

Whatever your feelings about money may be, they can be changed to flow with more peace and abundance. All it requires is a little intention and practice.

Money as Energy

When I was 24, I set some ambitious financial goals for myself and planned to achieve them by the time I was 42. When I finally got there (at 48 instead of 42 — just a little behind schedule!), I understood that the idea of “financial freedom” I originally set out to achieve is elusive, if not entirely a myth.

Most people who achieve 7-figure net worth will tell you that in the acquisition of their wealth, they’ve become acutely aware of how quickly it can disappear. This can lead to the sense that the original goal, “financial freedom,” or “financial stability,” may be impossible.

The more they work and acquire, and the older they get, the more they become aware of thousands of years of human history where the rich became poor, assets crumble overnight, and entire national economies fluctuate–even created or destroyed in just days or months. (We all watched the stock market tumble in 2007.)

Many of the most wealthy among us report having more anxiety around money when they’re worth $5 million than they did when they were young and working near the poverty line.

This may be due to becoming clear about how illusory and transitory money is.

If wealth is just digital transmission of energies, and it’s just a concept that we’ve all agreed to, why do we use it as a barometer around which we feel pride, shame, fear, guilt, and almost endless anxiety?

If money is in constant flow, and if we can either be in or out of that flowing river depending on the energies we choose, aren’t we all better off choosing to be more abundant?

Now that I’ve gotten entirely philosophical about the green stuff, you may be thinking, “No, Robyn. Money isn’t energy. Money is a cold, hard fact of life that I need in order to have food and a place to live.”

Fair enough. But there are billions of dollars, mostly in the form of little digital data bits flowing across wires buried in the ground, that we can create more of. There is no actual scarcity.

Money flows to those who work, who do so diligently, who finish their projects rather than just dream about them, who put their time and effort into “highest and best” uses.

Plenty of people work very hard, harder than wealthy people do, and never earn any significant amount of money. Many people expend a tremendous amount of effort on a variety of things, while avoiding putting their labor into activities that will actually lead to material success due to their fear or aversion around money.

So, because there’s more to becoming wealthy, or financially successful, than what your parents may have told you (“Work hard!”), we must examine another aspect of whether you could be more successful than you are.

Shifting Your Financial Energy

You can absolutely have more money and wealth than you have now.

Because money is energy, and because spending it creates lots of ripples and flow in the larger energetic system known as “the economy,” you can create money and wealth, without taking it from someone else who needs it!

The idea that “effort does not create wealth” is disrespectful to over 90% of the human beings on the Earth for whom physical labor pays for their food and shelter and their children’s needs. We have most of what is available to us due to someone’s physical effort, so I don’t think it serves to devalue that.

But in addition to acknowledging the value of effort, shifting your energies and thought patterns towards money has the power to completely change your financial status when added to hard work and being a “finisher” of your projects. What if you challenged these commonly-held beliefs:

that money is something to fear

that entrepreneurs and people who work more than 40 hours a week are “workaholics” and therefore pathological and need to change

that you aren’t capable of obtaining enough money

that people who obtain money and spend it easily are somehow bad or obsessive or misguided

that you shouldn’t bother to try to earn more money because you’ll just lose it somehow

that if you become financially successful, your friends and family will turn on you

that because money can’t buy happiness, then staying where you are is actually better

that only shallow people care about money

that because people who are “satisfied” with their financial state are the happiest, you should decide to be satisfied with your financial struggle rather than pursue success

Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

I hope you’ll try a little experiment: when you have a negative thought about money (whether the thought is judgmental, jealous, or fearful, consciously replace it with a positive statement.

When you see someone who’s obviously had financial success and think to yourself, “I bet that guy has stepped on a lot of people to get where he is,” make an internal shift to something like this: “I’m learning to get in the stream of flowing money and to both give and receive it willingly.”

Instead of settling for, “That car she’s driving is fancy, but I don’t need a flashy car to feel good about myself,” tell yourself, “I view others with money positively because I want those positives to flow into my life as well.”

Change, “He’s got a really nice house, but I wouldn’t want a mortgage payment that big,” to, “I don’t need to make a judgment about expensive things or the people who own them, because it doesn’t serve me.”

Go from, “I’m sure I’ll lose this business/house/car eventually,” to, “My energies around money help more of it flow to me and the people and causes I care about.”

If you find yourself saying, “Money can’t buy happiness,” replace that thought with, “I want more wealth, and I’m not afraid to say it.”

Stop judging those who work hard as somehow broken or inferior and start seeing money as the ability to use your time the way you want to.

The words, thoughts, and emotions we have about success, money, and wealth directly affect whether we are in the stream of wealth and abundance or straining to get a drop from a turned-off faucet that drips now and then. Money flows to those who work, who do so diligently, who finish their projects rather than just dream about them, and who put their time and effort into “highest and best” uses.

Read next: 14 Ways I Optimize My Health and Energy Every Day

Robyn Openshaw, MSW, is the bestselling author of The Green Smoothies Diet, 12 Steps to Whole Foods, and 2017’s #1 Amazon Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller, Vibe. Learn more about how to make the journey painless, from the nutrient-scarce Standard American Diet, to a whole-foods diet, in her free video masterclass 12 Steps to Whole Foods.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on December 7, 2017; it has been updated for accuracy and relevance.

Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links, which allows you to support our mission without costing you extra.

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#infrared saunas #healthy

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daviodave-blog · 7 years

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Narrow Is The Way

Few Are Going To Heaven “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” —Luke 13:23-24 Do you understand the question in the above Scripture? “Lord, are there few that be saved?” Someone came to Jesus and wanted to know if “few” people were saved. It's interesting that the person didn't ask if “many” people were saved. Evidently the person had been listening to Jesus' preaching and became convinced that few people were really saved. When the Bible speaks of being “saved,” it means saved from God's wrath upon Christ-rejecting sinners in Hell. Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” All Christ-rejecters go to Hell if they die in their sins. If a person is “saved,” then they are going to Heaven when they die. Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We are saved from the eternal consequences of sin, which is punishment in hellfire. To be saved is synonymous with being “born again.” When a person becomes a born-again child of God, they are saved eternally. EVERY human being MUST to be saved (i.e., born again) to enter into Heaven. John 3:3, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” If a person dies in their sins without believing on Jesus as the Savior, the Son of God, they will burn in Hell forever (Revelation 20:11-15). Just as the disciple who asked Jesus the question in Luke 13:23, I myself often wonder how few are truly born again believers. I dare say not many. Let's consider the question again... “Lord, are there few that be saved?” There are over one billion Catholics in the world who errantly believe that the Catholic Church is going to save them. Roman Catholics do not trust Jesus Christ alone; but rather, rely upon manmade traditions and self-righteous works to save them. According to the Word of God, genuine Catholics are hellbound in their sins because they are trusting in self-righteousness (Romans 3:20; 10:3-4; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). There are over one billion Islamic Muslims in the world who deny that Jesus Christ ever died upon a cross for our sins. According to the Bible, they are antichrists and liars on their way to Hell (1st John 2:22-23). There are over 183,000 cults in Japan alone that deny Jesus Christ as the only Savior of the world. Other false religions include Lutheranism, Episcopalian, Scientology, Hinduism, Wicca, Buddhism, Seventh Day Adventist, Zoroastrianism, Greek Orthodox, Judaism, Jehovah Witness, Mormon, Freemasonry, and many more. Why do I call them “false religions”? It's simply because they all corrupt the Biblical teaching of salvation, i.e., the gospel. Most false religions ADD works to faith. Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses DENY the deity of Jesus Christ (i.e., that He is Almighty God). Seventh Day Adventists falsely and deceitfully redefine faith to mean works. There are hundreds-of-millions of followers of Hinduism who deny Jesus as the Savior, the Son of God. Judaism denies that Jesus is the Messiah. The same Pharisaical Jews who crucified Jesus 2,000 years ago are crucifying Him today. The Church of Christ deceitfully speaks of faith in Christ, but also requires water baptism and living the Christian life to be saved. That is works salvation, which is a lie of the Devil (Romans 3:20; Romans 4:5-6). Every Catholic claims not to worship Mary, but the second commandment (Exodus 20:3-5) forbids even bowing to Mary (which every Catholic does). All of the religions I have just mentioned account for well over half of the earth's population. If you don't like what I am telling you then get mad at God because He wrote the Bible. If you take the Bible at FACE VALUE, you can only interpret it one way. The best way to interpret the Bible is with the Bible. God said what He meant and meant what He said. Let the Bible speak for itself. Jesus answered the question in Luke 13:24 with the following words... “...for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Most of the people in this world are going straight to Hell when they die because they have not been born again. Lies and deception are everywhere! Catholics and Jehovah Witnesses claim to be born-again but they are NOT. You can't get born-again by doing good works, confessing your sins to a priest, getting water baptized, joining a church or keeping the Sabbath Day. Salvation is NOT found in any religion; but rather, in a Person—The Lord Jesus Christ! Most people today have churchianity without Christianity, and they are all going to Hell if they don't repent toward God of their unbelief. There are only two types of religions in the world: DO and DONE. Either you believe that you have to DO something to go to Heaven; or else you believe that it is DONE, paid for by Jesus' precious blood. Jesus said in Luke 13:24 that “many” will seek to enter into Heaven but will not be able. That is quite startling. Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 7:21-23 . . . “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” The reason why these religious people were not allowed into Heaven was because they attempted to enter Heaven through their own self-righteousness. In Matthew 5:20 Jesus spake concerning the religious leaders of His time . . . “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Most of the religious churchgoers in the world today are as lost as can be, still hellbound in their wickedness. They have not done the will of God concerning salvation, which is to BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (John 6:40; Acts 16:30-31). Oh, listen my friend, I don't want you to go to the Lake of Fire when you die. Jesus' disciple asked Him if few people are going to Heaven. Jesus replied that many people will attempt, but fail. When the floods came in Noah's day, many people tried to get on the ark, but it was too late once the door was closed. When the bridegroom came in Matthew 25:1-13, the five foolish virgins were left behind because they were gone buying oil at the last moment. Do not likewise make the mistake of delaying salvation, for you will be sorry when it is too late. Few souls are going to Heaven. Have you found that strait gate and narrow way that leadeth unto life (Matthew 7:13-15), which is the righteousness of Jesus Christ? So many churchgoers have religion, but they have never truly been born of the spirit of God, which is the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). Salvation happens when a person acknowledges their guilt of sin unto God; believing on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, to be forgiven. We are SINNERS and Jesus is the wonderful SAVIOR! Acts 10:43, “To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.” David J. Stewart

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dailyaudiobible · 7 years

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05/05/2017 DAB Transcript

Judges 21:1-Ruth 1:22 ~ John 4:4-42 ~ Psalm 105:1-15 ~ Proverbs 14:25

Today is May 5th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It's great to be here with you today as we get prepared to take the next step forward in the scriptures. Yesterday was our last full day in the book of Judges and we will conclude the book of Judges today and find our way into the book of Ruth, which I love getting to. It's like a deep exhale in all of the journey that we’ve been on, kind of culminating with this really difficult story of the civil war and destruction of the tribe of Benjamin. But before we get to Ruth, we need to complete the book of Judges. So from Judges, chapter 21, verse 1 through the end of the book, we’re reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Introduction of a New Book (Old Testament):

That concludes the book of Judges which brings us to the book of Ruth. Ruth is a really short book that we’ll finish tomorrow, today and tomorrow, but it is a breathtaking story. At its heart it is an account of God's faithfulness through the lives of three people who chose to do the right thing. We’ve been through plenty of people who chose to do the wrong thing and we’ve kind of seen the back and forth of that. This is three people who did the right thing and their faithfulness brought about King David and through the line of King David came Jesus. So the book of Ruth shows us when people that have character use that character to make proper and right decisions, God's faithfulness is there in that. The book of Ruth is also the story of valiant women of character. This is a great time as we approach our observation, at least here in America, of mothers, Mother's Day coming. This is a great time for this.

Nobody really knows who wrote the book of Ruth. Jewish tradition talks about Samuel writing it, although most biblical scholars that are historians don’t really believe that is a possibility. This would have been written after Samuel died in the time of King David. And yet it refers to the time of the judges. Actually, there was a point in history when Ruth was a part of the book of Judges but then later it was given its own appropriate delineation.

We’ve seen some really hard things happen that are very difficult over the last month in the scriptures, colossal mistakes made on the part of the people as they walked away from God and then they suffered the terrible consequences that they were warned about in advance as a result. So we arrive at Ruth and it is like a springtime breeze. It's a breath of fresh air. People still have character and God shows up in his faithfulness. So we begin with Ruth chapter 1.

Commentary:

We talked about Ruth and we’ll flesh out and fill out this story in its entirety in tomorrow's reading. And then we have this interesting interplay in the book of John where Jesus is among the Samaritan people when the Jews and the Samaritans didn’t really associate with each other. Jews kind of looked down on Samaritans as lower and definitely red-headed stepchildren in the faith because of the way they worshipped God. It just came from some bad places and had gotten just really different over time, and we’ll see that story open itself up to us.

I guess another spoiler alert is that over time this people, these chosen people who went through all that desert wandering and came into the promised land and became Israel, there is a day not too distant in the future for us in the stories told in the scriptures where this will be a united kingdom. It actually will be a kingdom. Where we are right now, everyone does what they want to do, but there will come a time where it is not quite like that. It is more of an organized kingdom. And a time will come when that kingdom will divide. They will not see eye to eye and the kingdom will divide and then they will be what is known as the northern and the southern kingdoms.

So the northern kingdom will be called Israel and the southern kingdom will be called Judah and then in the course of time, the northern kingdom, which is where we are with Jesus, we’re in the north, so the Galilee where Jesus spent most of his time is in the north, it will be defeated, carried off. Other people will be sent in to populate the land. There will be an entire mixture of culture and custom. This will be after the northern kingdom has already started to worship idols and to kind of twist the traditions, all in an effort to keep people from Jerusalem.

So just over time things got twisted and the Jewish people won't look at the Samaritan people as part of them anymore because they’re not really part of them anymore. What used to be in the north isn’t there anymore and so it is all inbred with other nations that have been conquered. So they look down on them for their worship, for their customs, for their integration with other cultures, for their intermarriage, just for the mixture. They can’t be looked at as these true people descended from those who came out of Egypt. For Jesus to be having this conversation at all, for him to even be there is odd, at least from a Jewish perspective. And then for him to be there talking to a woman, that is breaking cultural boundaries as well. You begin to see Jesus just doesn’t care what people think about him, but he also doesn’t care about these manmade rules that wall each other off. He is not looking at the world from that perspective at all.

Jesus is thirsty and he's sitting at Jacob's well. That well still exists. It is not particularly easy to get to, but it still exists. We got to it one time and we were able to film it and it's in the Promised Land Films. So many of the places that we talk about we’ve taken the time over the years to film them in detail so that we can bring them back. It changes things when you can look at what you’re talking about, see the place that you’re talking about. I’ve been to that place.

It's interesting to play that conversation out. You see this interesting almost flirtation going on with this woman. Jesus isn’t really flirting back. He's just being. He shows this masculinity that is not moving toward something. He is not moving in on the girl. It is almost like she is moving in on him. It's almost playful.

“What are you talking about, this water? Give me this water.”

Jesus just turns it back. “Go get your husband.”

And she's like, “I don’t have a husband,” kind of saying “I might be available.”

And then Jesus just captures the moment. He just tells her the truth about her life and she can only respond the way that she did: “I perceive that you are a prophet.” And then she asks him the big question between the Samaritans and the Jews. And Jesus answers her and everything, but he just moves beyond all that.

“I have living water and when I give living water no one will thirst again.”

Of course, she's like, “I want some of that water.”

And then Jesus just simply tells us what we’ve all got to remember. “You can drink this water and you’ll get thirsty again, but the water that I give will well up from within.” So you can drink this water and you’ll be thirsty again. You can keep looking for life in ways that it can’t come and you’ll always have to keep looking for more, but if you come to me, life will well up from within and it will spring up not to just life as you know it, but eternal life. You will always have life exploding from within you. This is the hope of the gospel and so may we take this little story and consider the things that we are going to, the wells that we are drinking from in order to find life, to quench our thirst, only to have to return because we’re going to be thirty again. We keep going to these wells looking for life when Jesus is saying “I can give you life and you will never thirst again. And I cannot just give you life right here, I can give you life eternal. It's what you’re looking for.” So let's look at the wells that we keep going to in search for life when life is actually available in Jesus.

Prayer

We thank you, Jesus, for this encouragement and admonition and counsel from the word certainly, but we thank you that this is available. This search that we continually are on and this life that we are continually longing for, that desire can actually be filled in you. So Holy Spirit, come and show us how to drink from the well that will spring up from within to eternal life. We ask this in your precious name, Jesus. Amen.

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is the website. It's home base. It’s where you find out what is going on around here. One of the things that is going on around here that we’re talking about right now is the fact that we’ll be going back to this place, the places where the Bible happened. So many of the regions, well, all of the regions that we’re talking about in the scriptures, so many of the actual places that we read about in scripture are places that we visit. I mean, places that touch this story in the book of Ruth that we’re talking about, places that touch the journeys and footsteps of Jesus that we’ve been talking about, it is something. It is something to stand there and not just know you’re on a pilgrimage and following in the footsteps of Jesus, but just the stories that you’ve imagined and have known and have pondered and meditated on and have used to apply to your own life to make change, to stand where some of this stuff happened and not be stuck in a picture but being able to turn around and look around and see the ancient hills and pathways, it's something. It's compelling and life-changing, to say the least.

You can come. Just go to www.DailyAudioBible.com, scroll down, look for Israel 2018 and click it and you’ll get the details that you would be looking for, the things you’ll need to know as you consider coming along. Or you can just go to www.DailyAudioBibleIsrael.com. That will take you to the same place. So I hope to see you next year.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at www.DailyAudioBible.com. There is a link. It's on the home page. Thank you for clicking that link. Thank you for your partnership. If you use the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner. Or, if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that’s it for today. I'm Brian. I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Hello, this is Stu from Southern California. I'm calling in. A first-time caller. I’ve been listening for about a year and a half and it is such a pleasure to be a part of this community. I just want to lift everybody up in the community for all the prayers and the love that you share with everyone. I was touched the other day by a passage that Brian was reading out of Judges and in particular it was a story where he had spoken to the way that we look at things in the Bible and sometimes don’t understand the bad stuff that is going on and incorrectly assume that it is the will of God. That was really something that connected well with me. I think the Bible is a story of truth for our lives. It's God's word to us explaining what happens when we go alone and when we choose our own way and don’t seek God's way. You know, it started in the garden and it is a story that we see what happens when we choose to go it alone and go it our own way and not inviting God into our circumstance. It is certainly something that always ends badly, but when we give ourselves to God, when we seek him in all we do and put things before him, this is following his will. This is truly abiding. We trust him in faith because small faith in something strong is good. I would ask for prayer for my family, that we would follow God, we would lean on God, trust God, and grow in our relationship with the one who gave it all. Thank you Jesus. We love you. Thank you everybody in the Daily Audio Bible. You’re such a beautiful family. Goodbye.

Hi. This Raspberry Flower from Arizona. I wanted to give a praise report for God. He is so amazing and perfect and I'm so in love with him. I was listening to the Daily Audio Bible about Gideon and how the Lord kept telling him he had too many soldiers and that the people would say that the people won by their own strength. And so he whittles it down to 300 soldiers and God gave them the victory. All glory to God. God spoke to me when I was listening to that and saying that was what he was doing for me at that moment with my homework studies. I was feeling so frustrated and I just couldn’t seem to be memorizing and I was spending enough time and it just didn’t seem to be working and it was frustrating me because I had a final coming up and I didn’t feel like I had enough facts memorized and my brain wasn’t cooperating and I didn’t understand what God was doing. So when I listened to that part of the Bible, the Holy Spirit just spoke to me and said this is what the Lord is doing so that when I got an A, which I did, God gave me an A, all glory to God, I would know it was God. So praising the Lord. He is so good. Next thing, I would like you to please pray for my friend Dory's sister Anna, sister-in-law actually. She hasn’t been able to carry a baby and she is five months pregnant right now and she's in the hospital and please pray that her body will be healed and whole and be able to carry this baby to full term and be her first child. Also, would you please pray for Dennis? My friend's husband has cancer and I believe. I believe in God's word and the Bible and he said that believers will lay hands and heal the sick. I believe. Thank you. Love you. Bye.

Hey, this is Sheila calling from Texas in response to the lady who called from Athens, Greece, who needs to forgive her husband over his past infidelity. I'm so grateful to God for prompting you to call. I’ll give you my testimony and hope this will help you and help many others. Over five years ago my husband had an affair on me. The Holy Spirit revealed it to me. I felt weak and helpless, but by the grace of God I forgave my husband. I went ahead and called the woman who had the affair with my husband and was extremely gracious to her. I told her that she should not be sleeping with a man except her husband. Secondly, I told her because I'm a follower of Christ, I forgave her. I told her that I would be praying for her. Honestly speaking, this was Jesus speaking through me because there is no way I could have been this gracious had it not been for God. Supernaturally this woman texted me back and asked for forgiveness, saying that she had further confessed her sin to a pastor. She also told me she wanted my marriage to work out. Isn’t that God? The Bible tells us in Revelation 12:11: And they overcame and not Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. God has healed my marriage. I love being married. My husband cherishes me every day and showers me with so much affection. Thank you Jesus. I’ve seen what forgiveness can do. I now know why God has put a burden in my heart for marriages. I now know why I had to face the pain I had to face five years ago. Now I can boldly tell anyone with a marriage issue that indeed God can heal your marriage. I'm living proof of that. So forgive and be set free. Forgive yourself, too. Pray for your husband and be gracious to him. Love will soon reign in your marriage, my sister. Put on the full armor of God daily and you’ll overcome. God bless you and stay strong in Christ. Nothing is too difficult for our God. I love you. Bye.

Hello DAB family. This is Chandra calling from Maryland. I'm calling because I wanted to offer my continuous prayers not only for Brian and Jill, but also Pastor Gary and every other person whose operating either as a pastor, as a spiritual leader, anyone who has that type of charge within the body of Christ because I know that, as my pastor said years ago, when you're at the top, that is when the enemy always tries the greatest to come against you because you have a higher calling and a higher amount of influence. Either way, I'm praying for you guys and you guys just continue to be strong and be of good courage and let the Lord continue to keep you, okay? Love you guys. Speak to you soon. Bye.

Hello. This is Stan, the Perseverer from Maryland. Today is May 2nd and I just listened to our dear brother who is in Cincinnati with the loss of his stepsister and the cancer with his brother. I was deeply touched by that and feel pulled by the Lord to just call and cry out on his behalf. Father, I pray for this man from beautiful downtown Cincinnati, as he says. Father, I pray that you would put hope in his heart, that you would give him peace and, Father, that you would extend your hand of grace and mercy over him. Where there is sickness, that you replace it. Where there is lack, would you provide it with plenty? Where there is despair, would you replace it with thankfulness and gratitude? Father, I ask you to put a hedge of thorns around this man and his family and his extended family, particularly his stepmother, that any influences of the enemy that would be seeking to destroy, steal, plunder and confuse would be bound up in the name of Jesus. Father, we thank you that we can come before your throne of grace and mercy and sit at your feet and ask on behalf of our brothers and sisters. And Father, I want to just thank you for this community. As I listen to the prayer lines, I am just amazed how you have fostered a love and a connectedness between each of us. I pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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